Ishiaki walked in with Oita in tow. He set the boy's backpack down with a THUD beside the entryway. He looked around, noticed the Ramen girl and smiled as he lead the boy to a vacant seat
Oita settled down carefully in his vacant seat, pushing the glasses up his nose and wondering what he was going to eat. And if he was going to have to pay. He was a little surprised he wasn't in more trouble really...
"Order whatever you want, Oita."
Ishiaki told him with a smile. He waved the waitress over and couldn't help but start flirting with her again as he ordered his own bowl of Mesu Ramen.
Oita sank a little behind his menu as his sensei started flirting. He didn't want to be a bother right now. He liked Onagi... he wondered if they had that. He stayed quiet, waiting for either his sensei to realize that this was making him shy, or for the waitress to notice him.
"So that's one Mesu Ramen, for the flirt." The waitress said, bumping Ishiaki slightly and turned to Oita. "And what about you, Oita, wasn't it?"
"Y-yes... I would like some Onagi ramen, and some water please"
Oita said, putting the menu down slightly, his cheeks slightly pink. He wasn't good at this... talking to people thing, and the way Ishiaki had been behaving made him feel shy.
The waitress smiled, "And one Onagi ramen with a water. Coming right up, boys." She said and headed back to the kitchen.
"Is something wrong, Oita?"
Ishiaki asked him curiously. He hoped he hadn't put the boy out
"I am not used to... flirting. I manage with most social interactions, but I still feel... awkward... around flirting"
Oita said plainly, gazing down at the menu, unable to look up at his sensei.
"I am sorry, Oita. I did not know."
Ishiaki told him softly. "I will not do it around you then." He smiled to assure his student
"I do not mind. I should attempt to be less... awkward"
Oita waved a hand, as if dismissing the subject "And you obviously like this girl."
"Have you heard what they say of me?"
Ishiaki asked him curiously, "That I'm a womanizer?"
"No, I have not sensei"
Oita said with a small shrug "I suppose being a womanizer is better than being completely inept though, isn't it? Being a womanizer generally means that women like you."
Ishiaki couldn't help but smirk. The rumor that he was a womanizer was about as popular throughout the islands as the fact that he was a legendary swordsman. It was nice to find someone who apparently hadn't heard it. "Trust me, I would rather be inept I believe. Rumors of my womanizing have always been a bit of a problem when trying to find a date on a Saturday night."
Oita shrugged slightly, each had their own problems he supposed. He would have preferred to be a bit better with women. He glanced over, making sure his pack was alright; it was causing a bit of a blockage, and it was a little burnt from his power surge, but it seemed ok.
Ishiaki sighed and relaxed a bit. "Are you really interested in using the gates? They are extremely dangerous for ninjutsu users, Oita. Taijutsu is really the best form to utilize the gates in."
"I believe that they are severely less dangerous for those who place large amounts of their chakra outside of their body"
Oita said slowly, as if thinking it over "If I relied solely on the chakra being inside. Yes, it might leave burn marks and... perhaps worse for extended use, but it has a similar affect on the muscles of taijutsu users. It would be a last choice move however. If my puppets fail I can utilize the gates, then the strings would become more powerful. This might even allow me to take control of my enemies body for a while, or simply hurt them with the powerful strings. Or, if my body is somehow unable to mold chakra or release it, it would make my taijutsu more powerful and I would not be defenseless."
"Just you had better be careful if you pursue this path."
Ishiaki cautioned him delicately. "Never, and I don't think I can stress this enough, open the last gate. It'll be the last thing you do."
"I believe that would take extensive training under those who have opened almost all the gates... but sensei, what would happen if I opened the final gate?"
Oita thought back to how it had felt when that first one had opened. He suspected opening the final gate would... well, result in an explosion.
"You'll die."
Ishiaki told him simply. It was at that moment that the waitress chose to return with their order. He couldn't have been happier at her timing.
"Thought as much"
Oita replied with a sigh, nodding and thanking the waitress before taking a sip of his water. "Hopefully I will never need to go to that extreme. Pouring all that chakra into my muscles, or even into other people, would be incredibly damaging."
"Indeed, that's what makes using the gates so dangerous."
Ishiaki continued to caution. "The opening of each gate causes immense physical harm."
"It did feel rather distressing when I opened the gate"
Oita admitted "I have a feeling my muscles with ache over the next few weeks..."
"That's guaranteed."
Ishiaki told him, bowing his head to the waitress as she set their bowls down.
Oita carefully snapped his chopsticks, frowning down at the bowl for a second before saying "Kami is always wearing those bandages... Akane seems to have difficulty carrying the shopping home. And I remember how badly hurt they acted after their fight. sensei... am I... physically the strongest person in our group?" That was a terrifying thought.
"Physically strongest may not be the way I'd put it. I would rather say you are more fit than the two of them."
Ishiaki tried to explain carefully. "Kami has weak joints, that's part of the reason I've been training her with weighted clothing, it'll help to build that up. Akane on the other hand, her bones are different from ours. They're hollow, it is a very interesting development for wind-chakra users, but in a physical fight it can be quite dangerous. I'm sure she hides it very well though."
The look on
Oita's face was roughly equivalent to the words "Well... damn". Hollow bones and weak joints... He remembered what Akane had been talking about earlier. Yes... rejects and uncertain people, that's what were sent here. He shook his head slowly, leaning in and starting to eat the noodles slowly. He knew that the others could fight, and were useful, he just... didn't realize how weak their bodies were.
"Just remember, don't judge a book by it's cover Oita."
Ishiaki told him sternly as he started in on his ramen. "If you believe them weak, I am certain the two of them will make you remember they are not. Akane especially. Just because she has hollow bones, does not mean that she is incapable of fighting."
"I know they are capable of fight, I witnessed their abilities before"
Oita reassured his sensei "I just... do not like the idea of myself being the fittest person in our group. I have always relied on puppets to fight, I believed when I came here that my partners would make up for my lack of physical strength."
"And you believe they don't?"
Ishiaki asked him curiously. "Kami can call down lightning from a cloudless sky, and Akane can send you flying across the village with a swipe of her hand. That sounds to me that they are pretty strong."
"I meant physically. If we were facing against a chakra consuming, or chakra cancelling, enemy, then our team would have great problems. While I know that they are strong in general, this seems to be a severe lacking in our team"
Oita knew that the others were strong in their use of chakra, he just knew that the moment anyone decided to have a hand-to-hand fight only then his team would be stomped.
"You let me worry about the hand-to-hand portion for now."
Ishiaki told him confidently. "It's my job to protect you guys after all. Akane and Kami are capable of keeping most enemies back and the few out there who could get through their defenses, would find me waiting on the other side. Those two are training to become better fighters in the areas where they are weaker. With you studying the gates, it shows me that you are doing that same. A teacher couldn't ask for more from his students."
Oita gave his sensei a small smile "Perhaps we should train against each other at some point. I must admit, after seeing Akane and Kami attack each other like that, I wished to see how well I would fare against them. Perhaps not quite as strongly against each other, I do not wish them to be hurt after all." He was eating his ramen slowly as he spoke, twirling the noodles in his chopsticks "Would you consent to referee the match if we had one?"
"Sparring matches are essential for team growth. How else will you know what areas need development?"
Ishiaki told him, which basically explained his consent.
"I hope the others are training well"
Oita said, starting to drink the soup with the spoon given now "Mostly I am taking part in things that pique my interest. This gates development seems something that I should look into more."
"I'm not about to tell you not to study things, Oita. But I must offer this advice, the Gates are very dangerous and you must use discretion if you ever intend to unlock them."
Ishiaki told him, "I will assist you all I can while you study them. I may even know a few people who can offer sound advice on the subject as well."
"This would be greatly appreciated"
Oita said, giving a small bow to his sensei "The first gate was pure luck. I must have had weak resistance to it already. The others, I am sure, will be difficult. And if they are easy, then it will be even worse, as I would have to exercise NOT to open them."
"It is to my recollection, that the first and last of the gates are the easiest to open. As if the very technique wishes you to do it."
Ishiaki explained and again took a cautious note as he said, "But no matter what the temptation, you must resist opening the final gate."
"I'm fairly sure that my body would not be able to withstand opening anything near the final gate. To be honest, I'm surprised I haven't fainted already"
Oita said as he drank slowly, his thick glasses concentrated on the bowl "I sank for a moment behind the menu, but I managed to avoid passing out."
"Once we're done eating, I'll help you home where you can rest."
Ishiaki assured him gently.
"Thank you"
Oita said, wiping his mouth on the napkin carefully as he finished his food. "I think it will rather surprise my team mates... to return home so weak and exhausted for once. I might even sleep in my real bed for once."
"I must say, it would be preferable."
Ishiaki told him with a smirk. He had found the boy asleep in his workshop far too often.
Oita gave a small smile, pushing away his bowl. He was done with the food now, only thing left to do was pay. "I am having to do continuous work on my puppets" he assured his sensei "It is easier for me to sleep in there."
"It might be easier, but it's not more comfortable. The best rest comes from sleeping in comfort."
Ishiaki told him with a smirk. "One of the reasons why I came up with my luxury jutsus."
"Luxury... jutsu?"
Oita asked, raising an eyebrow towards his sensei. He wasn't sure that he'd ever seen Ishiaki use one of those... or understand why he would desire one.
"I have many and if you're curious, I would be willing to teach them to you."
Ishiaki told him with a smile. "Essentially they are a type of summoning jutsu, much like when you would summon one of your puppets, or Kami summons one of the squirrels. Only I don't need a contract or scroll to do it."
"Well... if I learned a summoning jutsu without a scroll it would be much easier, as I wouldn't have so much in my pack at one time" that would free up
Oita's movements quite a lot actually.
"It mainly relies on hand signs in order to actually create the summoning."
Ishiaki informed him as he took out his billfold and set the money under his bowl. There was a sizable tip there as well. He stood up slowly and looked at Oita. "Interested?" He asked him simply
"Yes... however" when
Oita stood up, his entire body seemed to wobble backwards, as if desperate to return to the comfort of a seat "I'm... rather tired at the moment... Tomorrow... perhaps?"
"I wouldn't have it any other way, Oita."
Ishiaki told him, walking over and hefting the boy's pack yet again. "Training is not something you should be doing when exhausted."
Oita nodded, eyes closed behind his glasses before moving off with his sensei. It felt strange without his pack, freeing, yet terrifying. It was as if he'd lost a large part of himself, but a lot of weight had been lifted; he kept trying to avoid people when they were no where near him, and seemed to have to force himself to not speed up as he walked out to the
INC village
Stumble!